The Wichita Police Department and the City of Wichita have a lot of work ahead if they plan to implement even the most significant of the changes recommended by the consultant firm Jensen and Hughes.
The firm was hired by the city to look into serious allegations of police wrongdoing following a scandal involving racist text message exchanged by officers last year,
The long-awaited report was released late Friday afternoon, along with an announcement of a media event at 9 a.m. Monday to discuss the recommendations.
The 123-page report looked at seven key areas and provided advice on how to address problems moving forward.
There are some alarming observations in the report including this one about the “internal culture” of the department: “If culture is defined as the common norms, values, beliefs and behaviors of individuals within an organization, the current internal culture in the WPD is unhealthy and at times, toxic.”
Jensen and Hughes consultant firm
The report delved deep into the operations of the police department regarding hiring, promotion, morale within the department, perceptions of fairness as well as relationships with the community, the procedure for citizens to file complaints and the way the department handles those complaints. The report contains step by step recommendations for how the department can establish new operational procedures to help deal with the most troubling issues.
It is heavily weighted toward recommendations for internal changes to improve employee morale and confidence in the fairness of promotions and disciplinary actions.
The City will hold a press briefing at 9 a.m. on Monday, March 13 in the first floor board room at City Hall, 455 N. Main. City leaders and a Jensen Hughes representative will be available for comment at that time. Council will be in attendance.
Media Briefings can be viewed on the City of Wichita’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages.
Keep following The Community Voice for updates to this report.